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The most bizarre twist in this whole tale would be if the rise of flexible working post covid-19 did actually create a gap in the market for a company to come a

The most bizarre twist in this whole tale would be if the rise of flexible working post covid-19 did actually create a gap in the market for a company to come along and provide flexible office space with short notice and minimal commitment: A real Uber for office space.

bilbo0s 5y ago
I'm thinking post-covid, with the glut of vacant spaces in the coming quarters, there will be many commercial real estate companies offering "flexible office space with short notice and minimal commitment". It quite probably will become one of the standard contracts in the "new normal".
andrewfromx 5y ago
i want a place to go M, W, F from 11am to 2pm with great food, wifi, places to sit with my laptop, bathrooms... I want a tech conference (no speakers or agenda, just normal work-day) hosted and paid for by my company at various hotels around my city 3 times a week. Best of both worlds. Still get to see my co-workers and eat with them often, but never feel trapped in an office or commute.
paxys 5y ago
The underlying problem hasn't gone away though. A company which gets into long-term corporate leases in the most expensive real estate markets in the world and rents out the space by the day (or with a monthly subscription) exposes itself to too much risk due to market fluctuations and economic downturns. Plus, the level of service people expect out of these spaces is just unrealistic for the price they are willing to pay. A quiet working space in a fancy office building in the most upscale commercial area of the city with tech company amenities included is going to realistically cost a lot more than $200/month. There is a reason WeWork set billions of dollars on fire.
- VBprogrammer 5y ago
  Yeah, for what it's worth I'm sure you are right. At the moment the company I work for is talking about reducing its office space by almost 2/3. If that is representative then the cost of office space is about to take a nose dive.
duxup 5y ago
I'd be open to that... but the pricing on these things are sometimes absurd. Unless my employer were to pay for it, I'm not paying for it, I'll hack it out at home. One company tried to open a space like that for individual office rentals out in suburbia where I am. Monthly price was more than half my monthly mortgage payment, I'm not going to do that for a tiny bit of office space. I suspect that unless employers are happy pay for it the price I'm willing to pay wouldn't float these companies...
- VBprogrammer 5y ago
  My personal price would probably be a little less than I use to pay for a train ticket. Maybe £300 a month. However, once this all settles down and I know what the conditions are it will probably be reinvested in a dedicated office space, either in a larger home or possibly a garden room.

bilbo0s 5y ago

I'm thinking post-covid, with the glut of vacant spaces in the coming quarters, there will be many commercial real estate companies offering "flexible office space with short notice and minimal commitment". It quite probably will become one of the standard contracts in the "new normal".

andrewfromx 5y ago

i want a place to go M, W, F from 11am to 2pm with great food, wifi, places to sit with my laptop, bathrooms... I want a tech conference (no speakers or agenda, just normal work-day) hosted and paid for by my company at various hotels around my city 3 times a week. Best of both worlds. Still get to see my co-workers and eat with them often, but never feel trapped in an office or commute.

paxys 5y ago

The underlying problem hasn't gone away though. A company which gets into long-term corporate leases in the most expensive real estate markets in the world and rents out the space by the day (or with a monthly subscription) exposes itself to too much risk due to market fluctuations and economic downturns. Plus, the level of service people expect out of these spaces is just unrealistic for the price they are willing to pay. A quiet working space in a fancy office building in the most upscale commercial area of the city with tech company amenities included is going to realistically cost a lot more than $200/month. There is a reason WeWork set billions of dollars on fire.

VBprogrammer 5y ago
Yeah, for what it's worth I'm sure you are right. At the moment the company I work for is talking about reducing its office space by almost 2/3. If that is representative then the cost of office space is about to take a nose dive.

duxup 5y ago

I'd be open to that... but the pricing on these things are sometimes absurd. Unless my employer were to pay for it, I'm not paying for it, I'll hack it out at home. One company tried to open a space like that for individual office rentals out in suburbia where I am. Monthly price was more than half my monthly mortgage payment, I'm not going to do that for a tiny bit of office space. I suspect that unless employers are happy pay for it the price I'm willing to pay wouldn't float these companies...

VBprogrammer 5y ago
My personal price would probably be a little less than I use to pay for a train ticket. Maybe £300 a month. However, once this all settles down and I know what the conditions are it will probably be reinvested in a dedicated office space, either in a larger home or possibly a garden room.